Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Carolina vs. Puerto Rico Cost of Living Summary
North Carolina is 46.3% more expensive than Puerto Rico overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 24.4% more in North Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 14.4% more in North Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 41.9% more in North Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 43.6% more in North Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 2.7 times more in North Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 32.1% more in North Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 2.2% more in North Carolina
The cost of childcare, housing, transportation, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and groceries in North Carolina are more expensive than in Puerto Rico. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in North Carolina.
North Carolina vs. Puerto Rico Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Carolina instead of Puerto Rico, you would:
pay 24.4% more for restaurants
|
Puerto Rico
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.10
|
$17.06
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.01
|
$10.47
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.58
|
$2.28
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.35
|
$1.82
|
|
Puerto Rico vs. North Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 14.4% more for groceries
|
Puerto Rico
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.18
|
$3.79
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.16
|
$6.80
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.11
|
$3.73
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.34
|
$3.98
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.76
|
$5.20
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.50
|
$2.47
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.06
|
$0.71
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.54
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.84
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.65
|
$1.74
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.04
|
$1.80
|
|
Puerto Rico vs. North Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 41.9% more for transportation
|
Puerto Rico
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.65
|
$2.98
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$35.20
|
$60.67
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,700.00
|
$33,588.64
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$9.22
|
$19.99
|
|
Puerto Rico vs. North Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 43.6% more for housing
|
Puerto Rico
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.46
|
$72.77
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$800.93
|
$1,488.15
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$580.00
|
$1,261.77
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$242.07
|
$132.31
|
|
Puerto Rico vs. North Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 2.7 times more for childcare
|
Puerto Rico
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$453.00
|
$1,261.89
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,760.00
|
$24,633.15
|
|
Puerto Rico vs. North Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 32.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
Puerto Rico
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.73
|
$5.12
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.38
|
$4.82
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.21
|
$7.77
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$37.37
|
$48.40
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.90
|
$12.98
|
|
Puerto Rico vs. North Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 2.2% more for clothing
|
Puerto Rico
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$42.97
|
$49.30
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$54.22
|
$37.76
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$81.06
|
$88.37
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$96.00
|
$111.01
|
|
Puerto Rico vs. North Carolina - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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